Coast MP to favour choice
GOLD Coast MP Meaghan Scanlon says she will support giving women the right to choose when laws to decriminalise abortion are brought before State Parliament.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk yesterday confirmed her plans to bring draft laws to decriminalise abortion in Queensland to State Parliament next month with plans to pass them in the October sittings.
“This is a health issue for a woman. It is not for me to tell another woman what to do when she is confronted with these health issues,” Ms Palaszczuk said yesterday after handing down the Queensland Law Reform Commission report into the issue.
The report forms the basis for the Government’s laws.
New South Wales is the only other state where abortion is a crime unless a woman’s mental health or life is at risk.
The Gaven MP said she would vote in favour of laws that gave women a choice.
“I am proudly pro-choice and will be certainly voting in favour of the legislation,” she said. “I firmly believe these are private health decisions women should be able to make in consultation with their doctors.
“(The issue) is really something that doesn’t come up often but the numbers show the majority of Queenslanders believe it should be dealt with as a health issue and not in the criminal code.”
Opposition leader Deb Frecklington hinted that, like Labor, LNP members would be allowed a conscience vote on the legislation, but said she wanted to see the report before confirming her stance.
“This is a highly emotive issue and I won’t be making any kneejerk reactive comments in relation to Labor’s proposal,” she said.
“As a mum of three teenage daughters, I want this to be above politics and these changes as proposed by Annastacia Palaszczuk need to go through a full parliamentary committee process.
“I will be seeking a briefing with the Law Reform Commission and also be consulting with my shadow cabinet and the LNP party room in due course before making any further comment.”
The commission found about 99 per cent of abortions were performed before 20 weeks gestation but it recommended 22 weeks because that “represents the stage immediately before the ‘threshold of viability’ under current clinical practice”, among other reasons.
The new laws will also allow for new buffer zones or “safe access zones” to be established around clinics where abortions are performed to stop the harassment and filming of patients and staff with those caught breaking the rules facing up to one year in prison.
A new offence will also be created to stop unqualified persons performing abortions. It will attract a jail sentence of up to seven years.
Pro-life group Cherish Life yesterday slammed the draft laws as radical.
However the proposed laws were backed by the Australian Medical Association’s Queensland arm, as well as Children by Choice and the Queensland Nurses Union.